La vegetacion de Isla Socorro, Archipielago de Revillagigedo, Mexico.

Based on physiognomic criteria and a cluster analysis based on 90 plots (14 in prairie and grassland, 35 in shrubs, 38
in forest and 3 in secondary vegetation) we classified the vegetation of Socorro Island. In addition to coastal halophytes, we found
evidence supporting eight primary vegetation types: Conocarpus shrubby vegetation, grassland, prairie, Croton masonii shrubby
vegetation, Pteridium-Dodonaea shrub, tropical dry forest, tropical rain forest and lower montane cloud forest. Prairie and grassland
associations are clearly associated with altitude. Depending on the dominant tree species, three different units could be identified
within the tropical rain forest of the island. Our analysis resolved differences with previous classifications of the vegetation on Socorro
Island and indicated that some shrubby vegetation, sometimes considered as a different vegetation type, represented instead
early succession stages of the lower montane cloud forest. The classification presented constitutes a tool to aid future studies of the
flora and fauna of this insular region.